Nomad Cookbook
Written and Performed by Anushka Shah
Creative Team
Director/Playwright .................. Anushka Shah
Co-Director/Stage Manager .... Meher Kumar
Producer ........................................................ Park Lytle
Scenic Designer ......................... Arushi Kejariwal
Lighting Designer .................................. Quinn Iris
Sound Designer ........................ Olya Medvedeva
Graphic Designer .................... Shivangi Chopra
Photos from Performances of Nomad Cookbook (Spring 2025)
Photos by Park Lytle
About Nomad Cookbook
Nomad Cookbook is a show chronicling the life and family history of a first-generation South Asian child of immigrants. Performed from start to finish by one actor and loosely based around the structure of a recipe book, this play serves as an archive for family recipes, and a reflection on immigration and assimilation. Asking why people leave their homes, what we gain in the process and what we inevitably lose. This play at its heart is a story of movement; immigration and the diaspora, reflecting the long and arduous process of finding a home for oneself and the universality of friendship, family and most importantly food.
Anushka Shah first began collaborating with Park Lytle in the initial workshop production of Jimmy Jenkenheimer: Adventure Super Master, where she played Billy. Anushka performed the role through the workshop all the way to Jimmy's professional debut, where at the tail end of the production, she began conversations with Park about a new project she had been developing.
Nomad Cookbook would be the first one-person show produced by Shackleton Theatrics, and the first production staged since shifting to the Shackleton branding. The team was assembled by Anushka herself with a focus on gathering South Asian artists who could connect and gravitate to the themes of her story. Anushka worked tirelessly with her co-director Meher Kumar to give shape and staging to her words, often discovering in the room just how this show needs to be structured.
When it debuted, Anushka was able to perform three sold out performances in a piece often considered one of the best in that season. Anushka continues to look for opportunities to bring Nomad Cookbook back to life, while Park Lytle appreciates the staging as a chance to build out the blueprint for future one-person shows that can be staged by Shackleton Theatrics.